Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, has received commendation from workers’ unions for clearing a N12bn backlog of gratuities owed to retired staff of eight local government councils in the state.
At a ceremony on Thursday in Yenagoa, symbolic cheques worth N12bn were presented to over 1,000 retirees.
Following Diri’s concern for the welfare of council workers, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees honoured Diri as the Best Governor on Local Government Reforms in Nigeria.
NULGE President, Comrade Aliyu Kankara, presented the award to the governor in Yenagoa during a conference on “Promoting Local Government Workers’ Welfare: The Bayelsa Model.”Kankara said Diri’s achievements include transforming the local government system in the state through the introduction of fiscal policy reforms that repositioned the third tier of government for better service delivery, staff welfare, regular promotions and financial benefits.
He said the implementation of N80,000 minimum wage for council workers and an additional 25 and 30 per cent salary increase, as well as the government’s support to councils in the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries, were some of the testimonies of the union members.
He said, “The Governor of Bayelsa State has excelled where many other state governors have failed in human capital development by prioritising the welfare of workers in the state, particularly those at the grassroots level.
